The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) reiterated its position on euthanasia and horse slaughter in the wake of an accusatory Blue Horse Charities letter that was disseminated to the racing industry in early November (see article #4801 online). In part, the AQHA position statement read:

“AQHA does not support (national legislation banning horse slaughter), and the association does not favor slaughter as a means of dealing with unwanted horses. What AQHA favors is horse owners having all legal choices available for the difficult end-of-life decisions. AQHA also recognizes that adoption and retirement facilities are options for owners, and would endorse federal regulations and standards that would govern the operations of these facilities.

“That said, AQHA does have serious concerns about any federally imposed ban on processing facilities. Chief among our concerns is taking away a viable humane euthanasia option, which would increase instances of abuse and neglect of unwanted horses. This has been supported by an independent, scientific study. We do not want to see horses starved, mistreated, neglected, or shipped to other countries where processing facilities are not regulated by U.S. law or USDA officials.

“If members believe it’s necessary for their association to alter its position on the issue of unwanted horses or euthanasia of horses, then they simply need to contact AQHA, contact any AQHA director, or attend their association’s annual convention